GALLIPOLI

GALLIPOLI PENINSULA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

On a land where hundreds of thousands of soldiers had been buried, pounding a nail on soil leaves you with an uneasy feeling. Ceremonial prayers and ordinary homage for the dead seems mundane on the face of this great tragedy. Every step taken without a doubt, every line drawn without questioning whether it is coming from a memorized every day routine, without realizing that the path to those burials comes from this mindset, is line drawn too soon. In such a state, it is very difficult to do architecture; it’s hard to draw lines, with all that doubt. But if you’re not in doubt, it’s a shame. Yet spring is coming again, nature is blossoming, ferries come and go, the wind continues to blow like it has been blowing a hundred years ago. Life goes on. Sunflowers are ripping, canola are blossoming. This is the only basis, life continues, at the cost of dealing with this tragedy, life goes on. There is no choice but to take shelter in the spring branches, the waves and the wind. Nature knows better than us, It is the language of nature to which one has to listen. At least we hope to have paid our respects.

Gelibolu, Çanakkale

Çanakkale office of the governor

H. Sinan Omacan, Didem Teksöz, Muammer Erel (IPD), Okay Karadayılar (graphics), Anonim İstanbul (landscape)

March-June 2014